CellScale’s mechanical testing instruments were designed for delicate testing of biomaterials, but they can do so much more!
During this period of self-isolation and social distancing, we thought we’d put the current most precious commodity, toilet paper, to the test. The CellScale UniVert was set up for a tension test of a single ply of toilet paper. To make things more interesting, we thought we’d compare 2 leading brands (at least in Canada): Costco and Charmin.
In the graph above, stress data is plotted against strain. The Young’s (or Elastic) Modulus is calculated from the linear portion of the curve. The higher the Elastic Modulus (and steeper the curve), the higher the stiffness of the material. We can clearly see that the Costco brand outperformed the Charmin brand in terms of stiffness, but failed at a lower ultimate stress. Which would you choose?
Of course, toilet paper are available in such a wide variety these days – if you can get your hands on it! For now, this test at least demonstrates that we have a few sheets to spare!
Would you like us to test other household items with our instruments? Write to us at [email protected]!
